Shamed John Terry has been repeatedly phoning heartbroken wife Toni in a desperate effort to save his marriage.

Toni, 28, fled to their holiday home in Dubai at the weekend as news broke of her husband's affair with Vanessa Perroncel, ex-girlfriend of his England team-mate and former best friend Wayne Bridge.

But Terry's spokesman said yesterday: "John is on the phone to Toni constantly trying to sort out his personal life. That is his No 1 priority at the moment." Sources close to Terry said a divorce was the last thing he wanted.

The source added: "Toni will take as much time as she likes to think things through. It is understandably a very difficult time but her main priority at the moment is their twins. They are her life and she wants to protect them foremost.

"She is still taking John's calls. She thinks it's important for them to still communicate with each other for the sake of the kids, however upsetting the whole situation is."

Chelsea defender Terry is said to be ready to pay Vanessa £500,000 to buy her silence over their affair.

INTIMATE

He fears any chance of a reconciliation with Toni will be wrecked if Vanessa, 33, decides to reveal all with a kiss-and-tell story.

She was yesterday said to be mulling over offers of up to £250,000 from various media outlets . The insider said: "JT wants to fix things with Toni but he can't afford a load of intimate stuff to come out in the wash. If Vanessa is all about the money, he'll find the money."

Vanessa's spokesman Max Clifford said: "She has known John for a long time and obviously I think during that time they had become very close friends.

"Vanessa will decide what she wants to do, and she will then, if she decides to, come out and say exactly what has happened.

"You've only got to look at Tiger Woods. There was one, there was two, and then suddenly there were 12 or 13 who allegedly had relationships with him." Terry, 29, who earns £170,000 a week, is said to be confident he can smooth things over with Toni, even though the fling with her former friend Vanessa is the latest in a string of infidelities.

The insider said: "Toni has been repeatedly humiliated but will never leave JT. That's why he thinks he can get away with it again."

Terry, who allegedly paid for an abortion after getting Vanessa pregnant, is also refusing to stand down as England captain and even insists he has nothing to apologise for. The insider added: "He's going to tough it out. If the FA wants John out they're going to have to sack him."

Toni is in Dubai with the couple's three-year-old twins Georgie John and Summer Rose and her parents Sue and Alan. Alan normally works at his son-in-law's home as a gardener and handyman.

Toni fled the couple's £4million home in Oxshott, Surrey, at the weekend after realising her husband had repeatedly lied to her over the affair with French lingerie model Vanessa.

Toni is believed be staying at the Palm Jumeirah Beach resort, where she and Terry have a holiday home. David Beckham and Michael Owen also have homes at the resort.

Yesterday it was revealed Terry had bombarded Manchester City defender Bridge, 29, with texts insisting rumours of the affair with Vanessa were untrue. One said: "It's nothing to do with me. Someone at City is spreading this. I don't know where this is coming from."

After getting no response he contacted Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips begging him to reassure Bridge. The three men all played together at Chelsea and are all in the England squad.

It is understood Wright-Phillips told Bridge that Terry was trying to get in touch.

MORAL

Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor has offered to step in and act as a negotiator between Bridge and Terry.

He said: "The problem has arisen because it involves team-mates.

"There have been major issues of this sort in the past but they have been resolved with players moving to other clubs. But the one thing that binds these two players now is that they are both members of the England squad.

"I am available to help them on a 24-hour basis. My job is to run the union not to sit in moral judgment and I would be more than happy to try and clear the air.

"But this centres on England and it is really down to Fabio Capello to take the lead."

The scandal broke on Friday after Terry failed in his attempt to get a High Court injunction to stop newspapers reporting his affair.

More men than women think Terry should stand down as England skipper. A YouGov poll found 51% of men thought he should go compared to 41% of women.